EDITORIAL: Public housing, public trust

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. _ Few boards in Huntsville have faced as much scorn of late as the Huntsville Housing Authority board.

The authority's purchases of property - especially the Stone Manor apartment complex in south Huntsville - have awoken many in the community who have never paid attention to public housing.

On Thursday, the board elected a new chaiman for the authority's five-member board.

Accountant Tommy Beason said he hopes to restore public confidence in the authority.

That's a challenge The Times - and the public - will want to make sure Beason follows through on.

Few probably could have named the previous chairman of the board - Charley Burruss - before the authority's drive to deconcentrate poverty started becoming more tangible, and the public started reacting to Huntsville Housing Authority decisions.

It is worth noting, however, that before the Stone Manor purchase, the authority was generally in good standing with the public - that is, few felt the need to follow its every move because it managed its programs and generally operated without controversy.

But things are different now. The public trust has, indeed, been lost.

For his part, Beason wants to set up an advisory committee and tap delegates from each neighborhood association and the mayor's office for tours of public housing and to make suggestions on public housing designs.

"I hope I can work to gain the public trust," Beason said, "because we're good guys trying to do a good thing."

While not everyone will agree on what is or isn't a "good thing," no one should oppose HHA efforts to be more transparent. Communication is key, and certainly half of that is demonstrating a willingness to listen.

That cuts both ways. Both citizens and HHA members must respect each others' positions and look for common ground.

Beason isn't a newcomer to the board. He's been on it for three years, serving under Burruss. The volunteer board elected new officers Wednesday as it does every summer. Burruss remains a board member.

So let's just be clear about one of our concerns: A new chairman may allow for an opportunity for a somewhat fresher start, but without any turnover on the board, the public will remain skeptical of promised change.

Beason must follow through with his plans to improve public relations, and he must call on HHA Executive Director Michael Lundy to join him in that effort.

As its mission to deconcentrate poverty moves public housing to other sectors of the city, the the housing authority can no longer operate under the radar expecting no one to notice.

Beason plans to explain to delegates the nature of fair housing laws, the role of public housing, and invite outside recommendations in planning.

"I'd like to open up our strategic planning to the community. We're not hiding anything," Beason said in a story Thursday.

Your challenge, Mr. Beason, is to prove it. And you'll need the rest of the board's help and Mr. Lundy's to pull it off.